Jessica Anya Blau's Writings
View Jessica’s Books | Read Jessica’s other writings below.
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Article
Nov.01.2008
The Oregonian
In the summer of '76, Jamie's house is a party house. Her parents, Allen and Betty, have a backyard swimming pool, with an open-air thatched bar and boulders embedded in the tiles, but they don't own swimming suits. When they have pool parties, all the kids -- including Jamie, 14, and her 16-year-old sister, Renee -- wear suits, but the adults are buck naked....
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Article
Nov.01.2008
COSMOPOLITAN AUSTRALIA
Blau's debut novel, The Summer of Naked Swim Parties, is a delight.
This coming-of-age story follows 14-year-old Jamie as she grows up in 1970s California. Jamie is dealing with a lot of firsts: first loves, first dates, first kisses. She lives with her hippie parents Allen and Betty, who frequently host the titular pool parties, as well as aura parties and...
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Article
Nov.01.2008
Time Out New York
Recovered Judy Blume addicts, brace yourselves for a relapse: Jessica Anya Blau’s debut novel, set in Santa Barbara, California, during the summer of ’76, is a poignant, gleeful ode to the turbulence of growing up—and a delicious thrill if you crave return visits to adolescence.
Jamie is 14 years old and a worrywart. Her parents, Betty and Allen, are carefree...
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Column
Nov.01.2008
San Francisco Chronicle
Jessica Anya Blau's novel overcomes steep odds. You open the book and wonder whether you can get through yet another semi-autobiographical coming-of-age tale from a first-time novelist; you finish the book wishing it were twice as long. It's hard to recall a debut as warm, charming and comically satisfying as "The Summer of Naked Swim Parties."
Set in...
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About Jessica
BIO (WITH DOGS)
Jessica was born in Boston. Her father was a graduate student and her mother was staying home with Jessica and her older sister, Becca. They had a dog named Growlie. Jessica doesn't remember Growlie. They also had a...
Causes Jessica Blau Supports
Baltimore School for the Arts, 826DC, CityLit Project.